Downtown Chase Bank Robbed

April 4, 2014

WHEELING -- Authorities continue to search for a man who robbed the Chase Bank on Market Street in downtown Wheeling on Friday.

The robbery occurred at about 4:30 p.m. Friday when a white male entered the building and acted as if he had a gun. According to Wheeling Police Sgt. Rusty Jewel, the cashier was unable to tell whether the suspect had a gun or not.

"She didn't actually see it, but he made a gesture," Jewel said.

Article Photos

This surveillance image provided by the Wheeling Police Department shows the suspect in Friday's robbery of the Chase Bank in downtown Wheeling.

The suspect is described as having dark hair and is roughly 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. He was wearing a red bandanna and dark sunglasses, a grey coat trimmed in black, faded blue jeans and black gloves.

After demanding money from the clerk and leaving the bank with an estimated $2,500, the suspect got into the passenger seat of a white Chrysler four-door vehicle driven by a female with dark hair. Two additional male passengers were in the back seat, Jewel said.

Officers with the Wheeling Police Department, as well as officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, responded to the scene and were at the bank late Friday evening. Officers were seen putting caution tape around the perimeter of the building. A sign on the building's entrance indicated a closure, "due to a temporary emergency."

The FBI will handle the remainder of the investigation, as is common practice following bank robberies. However, Sgt. Gregg McKenzie said he hopes the clear surveillance video and photos of the suspect are enough for someone to identify the suspect and come forward with information.

"Chase has great surveillance video," McKenzie said. "Hopefully, someone recognizes this guy and we can lock him up."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wheeling Police Department at 304-234-3661

McKenzie said there was no connection between the robbery and a shooting on Wheeling Island that took place earlier Friday.